Verdun is the first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic First World War setting. The merciless trench warfare offers a unique battlefield experience, immersing you and your squad into intense battles of attack and defense.

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June 12

Today we want to update you on the latest developments on the Verdun front. Behind the scenes we have been working on exciting new content, graphical updates, bugfixes and team extensions. Oh, and we are part of the steam summer sale!

Infamous C96 Mauser "Broomhandle, part of the new content in the works"

Version 218

Available on the beta branch, and soon available for everyone is the 218th public version of the game. It contains:

Updated MG deployment, no more exploits deploying as well as flying into the air.

Squad name filtering

Assault squad "esprit the corps" spawning ability fixed

Aura bonus fixed

Incoming artillery now whistles before impact (whizzbang)

Picardie map performance issues fix

Content

The last few weeks we made some concrete plans for the upcoming Free Thematic Expansion Packages (Yea you heard that right: Free DLC because we appreciate our fans and want to make an awesome game). Read more about that here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=433614638 Our focus, besides bugfixing, will be the addition of cool game modes and we are very excited to play those with you. While we are not commenting about timeframes we do want to underscore that adding game modes and new ways to play and experience the Verdun gameplay and all the unique features have a very high priority and will be rolled out as soon as possible.

Secondly work on the fort Douaumont level has been progressing at a steady pace, we hope to start teasing you with some material very soon! We hope this level brings an entirely new style of play with indoor fights and a dramatic backdrop. We have done massive research on the fort and even visited it!

As you can see we are also working on adding more weapons to the game, in combination with the new squads or to existing squads. The first one to be teased is the Mauser C96 "Broomhandle", the very famous German-made 10-round semi-automatic pistol. Around 137,000 saw service on the German side. The pistol was also a very popular private purchase and for instance Winston Churchill wielded one during the second boer war. This game will be in interesting addition to the German weapon arsenal in the game. We hope to introduce this weapon in the game at the same time as the new squads. We will keep you informed!

Team Extensions

One important decision we made was to increase the size of the team so that we can maintain and improve Verdun for the long term. Our vision to create an awesome first person shooter experience and do right by the subject was almost universally recognized by the audience and press and this motivated us to invest in a bigger team to realize this. In the next couple of weeks we shall install several team members in the programming department (to polish the game, fix bugs and craft the new game-modes) as well as an animator to update the existing animations and create the new ones for the many new weapons that will be added in the coming time.

Graphical Updates

Our art department has also been putting in extra effort. The first focus was an update to the tanks and artillery that can be found around the levels and more. In addition to that we have been working on adding more details to the maps as well as adding more interesting gameplay components (like cover on picardie) to the the maps.

Have a look at the following imagery to get in impression of the updated art style (fully taking advantage of the advanced Physics Based Rendering) on the vehicles. The detail on most artillery pieces is now increased a tenfold especially up close.

German FK96n.A. 77mm - The main field artillery for the German during the war and can be found around the maps in Verdun. Designed for mobile warfare it became less important during the static trench war, but proved a real challenge for the tanks in the later stages of the war. A 1896 was version upgraded and designated "n.A" (new style) with the modern recoil system

British Mark IV "Male" - The Main Tank of the Commonwealth forces on the western front of which around 1200 were built, introduced in the middle of 1917. The male variant caried a two 6 pounder guns and three Machine guns.

French Mle. 1897 75mm - The famous "French 75" was the main (and pretty much only) artillery piece of the French army during the start of the war, with little to no heavy artillery available the french made use of what they had. It was however for its intended task in mobile warfare a revolutionary piece. Note, this is a brand new piece and will be implemented in the french sectors over time, as well as being part of Douaumont.

British 4.5 In. - The standard field howitzer of the Commonwealth forces. As these were stationed closer to the frontlines (field), many of these have been scattered throughout our levels.

British Mark IV "Female" - The Female version of the Mark IV's were armed with 5 lewis machine guns. All in more female versions were produced than male (about 600 vs about 420) . Some areas were better suited for tanks than others, the horrible muddy terrain of Flanders incapacitated many tanks en-route

Reviews

“Generously stuffed with player-made emergent moments on the battlefield and an incredible sense of place, Verdun is not just a great take on one of history’s more marginalised wars, it also happens to be a resoundingly solid shooter in its own right too.”
Gamewatchers - John-Paul Jones

“Verdun's given me an excellent understanding of what a mess World War I was. Verdun's Frontlines mode really is sort of ingenious—and I think this is definitely one worth checking out, especially if you're already interested in the subject matter.”
PCWorld - Hayden Dingman

About This Game

Verdun is the first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic First World War setting. The merciless trench warfare offers a unique battlefield experience, immersing you and your squad into intense battles of attack and defense.
The game takes place on the western front between 1914 and 1918, in one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history. The developers were inspired by the infamous Battle of Verdun France in 1916. The game includes many historically accurate features such as realistic WW1 weaponry, authentic uniforms and maps based on the real battlefields of France and Belgium.

The Frontlines game mode is unique in its tactical complexity. The realistic trenches are challenging to fight in and require tactical cunning to capture and defend. The Entente and Central Powers strive to gain control of frontline sectors. One battle you’re rushing the enemy trenches during an offensive battle in order to gain ground. In another battle you might be defending your recently conquered ground against an enemy counter-attack.

Players can choose to be part of one of the many squad-types in the game, each of whom have their own distinct tactical role. By working together with your friends, you can earn experience that improves the power and versatility of your squad. As you gain more experience fighting and get promoted in rank, you also earn Career Points which you can use to unlock specializations, weapons and equipment.
The Rifle Deathmatch is a free-for-all game mode, where all players are pitted against each other in a thrilling contest of skill using only bolt-action rifles.

The gameplay is as realistic and gritty as it gets. The authentic weapons need to be handled with skill, as they each feel differently and there are no floating crosshairs to aid your aim. Also, the realistic bullet physics require you to lead your shots when firing on a moving target at long range. In the event of a gas attack, you need to put on your gas mask, which impairs your view and gives you a very claustrophobic experience. And if getting shot or gassed isn’t enough sudden artillery barrages, called in by NCO’s, can pin you down if caught in the open and obliterate your entire squad. This unforgiving war isn’t for the faint hearted!

Team play is what lies at the heart of Verdun. When you start a game, your first choice is to fight for either the Entente or the Central Powers. You and up to three other players, can form one of the different squad types available to that side. Each squad has a specific tactic based on the historical units of that time. Depending on your squad’s type, players can choose a specific role within the squad, complete with historically accurate attire, weapons and special abilities. The more Co-op experience you and your squad mates earn together, the more powerful your squad will become and better abilities will be unlocked. This progression is also shown visually as you and your squad get more advanced uniforms. You will also earn Career Points, which can be spent to unlock specializations, weapons and equipment.

The true WW1 battlefield experience has been captured in a real-time dynamic frontline, set in an historically accurate section of the Western Front. These frontline maps are comprised out of multiple sectors that can be captured by either side. Staying true to the typical attrition warfare of that time, both sides attack and counter-attack each other in turn, compelling you to defend each captured sector of trenches!

The development team has done extensive field research at Verdun and has been advised by knowledgeable historians to make sure Verdun is as historically accurate as it gets. Uniforms have been recreated to the tiniest details, the weapons are modeled to exact references and the maps use realistic World War 1 props and terrain layouts. Also, everything in the game has been tailored to recreate the grim atmosphere so typical of WW1; Gloomy clouded skies, an immersive interface combined with realistic sounds, accurate native voices that evoke the feeling of actually being there in the trenches, mud covered - trenches whilst peering over your rifle to spot the enemy.

If we look at Verdun in the standards of modern gaming, it fails miserably.

Compared to triple A games and large developers, Verdun and it's developers fails in almost every aspect of game making.

No first day DLC save final updates. No microtransactions. No "pay to win" mentality. No unrealistic twitch shooting. No dodgy business practices.No massive failures on day one. No insane advantage for high level gamers. No false advertising.

By today's standards, verdun would fail on the table of EA, Bethesda, CA, SEGA, Nintendo, and just about every single gaming company that is larger than, say, CD Projekt Red.

These failures, however, make this game the best FPS on the market as of now.

These indie developers have crafted the most satisfying experience I have had in a first person shooter in a long damned time.

The game is perfectly digestable, the upgrades system is easy to get, the weapons are balanced and look and handle fantastically...

The list of amazing acheivements this game has accomplished could go on for pages of writing.

Verdun created it's own version of FPS gameplay, taking us to an era most companies find dull and drab. The trench warfare turn based attack gameplay is insane, as you see first hand the horrors of the First World War, which, by the way, is now 100 years past.

I bought this game in eraly access and was satisfied with it. Now I can't get enough of it!

I have been fed up with large companies coming out with garbage and selling DLC every five minutes. Verdun's updates and new squards are being released free of charge over the next while, so this game will become even better and more varied than it is now.

Verdun is one of a special kind of game, one that requires teamwork to dominate the map. While battlefield has become zany and unrealistic, Verdun forces you to play as a team, and unlike in battlefield, if you fail to do so, you will die again, and again, and again.

I cannot recommend this game more to anyone. The learning curb is massive, but you have so many classes to play as that are open to even the newest players.

Honestly there is something satisfying about having to use bolt action rifles in a trench that is captivating in and of itself. It is insanly addicitive and the squad based gameplay is incredible.

Verdun is by far the best FPS I have ever played as I have put in so many hours of my life into it (roughly 10 hours alone in hte last few weeks).

- Do I get shot at? Check- Do I die the moment I pop my head above the trench? Check- Do I get bombed out and shelled? Check- Do I scream out in fustration at the stupidity of the situations I land myself in? Check- Do I go on suicidal charges across a few meters of land out of desperation? Check

I'm crawling down in the mud among the dead men. We all signed for this, some of them added a year to their age to go here, to reach this hell. The bomb struck few meters away from me. Tinnitus in my left air. All I can hear is buzzing noise that drives me nuts. Our attack didn't succeed. Now we're defending this point desperately and I can hear enemy... I can FEEL enemy getting closer.

Too afraid to raise my head, to afraid to take a look. I keep my head low. It might save my life. I've seen it before. Head goes above the sandbag line... Splattered brain showers the muddy trench. I can't move. My NCO told me to stay here. Moving away, progressing or backing up would mean I'm a deserter. And we all knew what happens to those poor souls.

I see a sizzling bomb dropping a few meters away and suddenly, the trench is filled with thick green smoke. Mustard. Senfgas, as Germans call it. I feel like a trapped mouse. Panic takes control over my body. My hands are struggling to protect my face with a gas mask. I... I did it. I've started running away mindlessly from the deafening noise of shots.

I feel the enemy getting clos...

Bayonet strikes my chest and pierces skin, muscles and bones. The pointy, rusty blade exits through my back. I taste blood on my tongue. Thundering noise in my head, I raise it to see the eyes of my killer. He has the same eyes, just like me, hidden behind the gas mask, just like mine. He... he's me, the same frightened boy who will think of his mother the way I'm thinking about mine right now... maybe a bit later. Maybe tomorrow. Who knows... He's just been a bit more lucky than me at this moment. I can sense his misery and fear while he pulls the steel out and pushes me away. As I fall down, I see him going away. Leaving my body to be swallowed by everlasting darkness...

Pros:+ World War I theme. There are very few games set in this time period (at least vs. WWII titles);+ User-friendly & intuitive interface;+ Authentic trench warfare: covered in mud, crawling across bleak landscape... only to be killed with a single bullet from only hell knows where. Happy times XD+ Gas warfare. The only game (in my memory at least) where you can actually gas your opponents;+ Good selection of weapons and squad roles;+ Good servers; no lags / connection issues.

Cons... well, only one and, unsurprisingly, it lies with the players' "ingenuity":- One-man squads. There are 4 4-man squads per side in the match, if 4 people create 4 different squads because all of them want to be snipers / machine gunners, they prevent new fully complemented squads from joining the match.

Verdun is a timely homage to those who fought in the First World War, it's that good.

An Overview

Verdun. A word that encapsulates the horrors of the First World War. For it was at Verdun where the belligerents to the fighting had to endure some of the most appalling living and fighting conditions during the course of the war on the Western Front. The incessant shelling had turned the once pristine land into a wasteland. The constant disturbance of the clay at Verdun and the driving rain caused the formation of deep craters filled with oozing liquid that could drown men if they were so unfortunate as to fall into the hell hole. The battle was so ferocious a man is said to have been killed every minute of every day for 9 months. A death toll of some 800,000 men. One infantry man wrote 'If you have not seen Verdun, you haven't seen anything of war'.

Verdun the Game

Verdun is not primarily focused on the 9-month battle of Verdun of 1916, but rather encompasses 6 intensively researched maps, each portraying a different sector along the Western front, in which the Entente and Central Powers fought so ferociously over between 1914-1918.

Why Verdun Succeeds

I don't think it is premature to state that the developers of Verdun, have made a tour de force in the form of Verdun. It is rare to find a game, that catapults you into an era in history with such an eye for detail, that you'll find yourself swearing that you are there. The immersion level in Verdun is what has kept me coming back to Verdun time and time again (286 hours on record).

Visuals

The game runs on Unity 5, perhaps the most popular Graphics engine currently around. Having had the game for 10 months or so, I have witnessed the transformation of Verdun's art direction first hand. It is only in the past 6 months, where the visuals have elevated the production values of the game to stratospheric heights. Notable visual details include:

-On ultra, the deformation of No Man’s Land is a feast for the eyes. However, even on low the game looks good.-The character models have been researched to a very high degree, with excellent texturing.-Artillery shells impact the ground as you would expect. Showering men with debris and sending intense plumes of smoke high into the air.- Water logged craters, reflect the environment and character models.-Those trees not victim to shelling, look accurate.- The mud, especially on the map 'Artois' and 'Flanders' look photo-realistic.-Gas obscures your vision as it should, and the way it slowly creeps through the trench systems is impressive looking.

Ambient Sounds

From the whistling of bullets over your head, to the dull thud of shells in the distance, Verdun shines in depicting the sounds of the Great War. Rifles from the Entente and Central Powers make distinctive 'cracks', whilst the man suffocating from a gas attack near you, gasps in desperation. Other ambient highlights include:

-Voice commands by fellow players which can be entered using the X key. There are over 20 instructions/emotions you can use. The most commonly used is 'Take Cover' and 'Retreat'!- Mud squelches beneath your feet, when running in poorly irrigated battlefields such as Flanders.-Officers (NCO's) can use their whistle to direct where their squad should position themselves.-Reconnaissance aircraft can be heard (and seen) meandering their way above the frontlines.

Squad progression

Progression in Verdun is unlike anything you’ve seen before in an FPS. Verdun relies heavily on the use of squads. A squad comprises of 4 men each and there are 4 squads in each team. Each squad brings a unique role, uniform and weaponry to the battlefield. If you are in a match with certain players often and they are in your squad, the game will automatically track and save your progress (xp) with those people. Overtime, building enough experience with these players will elevate your squad rank which in turn unlocks a plethora of new abilities. These new abilities include the use of mustard gas and artillery barrages!

Personal progression

Verdun of course also tracks your own personal growth within the game. There are over 40+ unique roles to unlock during the course of the game. Reaching the rank of level 100 is a bruising yet satisfying experience.

Battle Modes

There are battle modes in Verdun. Frontlines and Deathmatch.

Frontline mode

This mode tries to depict and simulate the mainly futile efforts of soldiers to try and take trenches on the Western front during WW1. It is almost flawless in design. A frontlines battle usually lasts 25- 45 minutes depending upon which map you’re playing on. When a game begins you’re either authorised by the game to ‘attack’ or ‘defend’. Once the initial attack timer is over (usually 5 minutes long) and provided the enemy have not achieved a foothold (whereby extra time is afforded to the attackers if they are able to place men in the enemy trench before and after the initial attack timer has needed) then it is tasked with the defenders to attack. This counter-attack and defend system really forces squad collaboration. It is imperative that squads cover the entire length of a trench system, if they are to avoid being overrun and their trench taken. However, once the first line of a trench is taken the defeated team ‘fall back’ to their prepared 2nd defensive trench line. Thus, even if you lose a trench, you can always take it back. There can be as many as 3 trench lines on a map. Some 32 players (16 vs 16) can fight it out in total on any map.

Death Match Mode

This is by far the least popular of the 2 battle modes. This mode sees you enter into a rifle death match to kill as many players as possible. There are no teams in this one, which forces players to rely on their marksman skills. The maps in this mode, whilst identical to those of Frontline mode, are far smaller.

Optimisation

The level of optimisation for PC and Laptops has improved vastly during Early Access. The developers have spent a considerable time optimising the game. It now runs at almost 60fps on ultra for me, where before it would run at a mere 12fps.

Future content

Whilst Verdun is being released tomorrow (27/04/2015), the developers have expressed their desire to keep supporting the game post-release. They have hinted at possible new squads such as the Americans and the German pioneer squads. New maps have already been made and shall soon be ‘updated’ in the game. A developer has personally hinted to me that there will be a hard core mode in the near future, which will focus on even greater depth of immersion.

Final word

Verdun caters towards an audience who appreciates a squad-based World War experience . From the person who wants that feeling of cooperation with their teammates to the player who wishes to be immersed in a WW1 FPS, you can’t go amiss with this title. The visual fidelity is impressive and when accompanied with the ambient sounds, Verdun surpasses most FPS shooters based in war time. The Frontlines mode whilst simply executed is genius. Never before has defence or counter-attack been as exhilarating as this. As a young man, who lost both his great great uncles to the First World War on the Western Front, Verdun for me bears testament to the sacrifices made by all the men, from every nation involved in the ‘war to end all wars’. M2H and Blackmill Games have brought WW1 to life, like never before and for that I am eternally grateful.

I score the game 9.7 out of 10. My only criticism is that I don't ever play the deathmatch mode.

Thanks for reading this.

Note: Since this review the developers have confirmed in their 'Road map' for Verdun that many more squads, maps and realism modes will be included to the game in the coming months. A new gore system is to be added, complete with shredded limbs. The 'Road map' demonstrates the developers true loyalty to their fan base.